The present invention relates to mowers and more particularly to an improved grass clippings pick-up broom assembly mounted on a mower and adapted to transfer grass clippings and other debris into a rear mounted grass catcher.
Motor powered rotary mowers typically include attachments for catching grass clippings and other debris. Walk-behind, riding and tow-behind mowers are often adapted for either side or rear discharge of debris, and include mower decks and rotary blades that are contoured such that debris is propelled out a side or rear discharge chute and into an attached grass catcher. Mowers may include a variety of vacuum systems for creating partial vacuums under the mower decks to pull clippings and other debris into grass catchers.
If a mower and grass catcher assembly does not include a special vacuum system for drawing the clippings and other debris into a grass catcher, some of the clippings and the heavier debris are often left on the ground. Small walk-behind and riding mowers typically do not include special vacuum systems because of the weight and expense of such systems. Such systems also add undesirable expense to larger riding and tow-behind mowers.
A separate lawn sweeper may be used to pick up debris left behind by a rotary mower. Lawn sweepers are available that utilize a rotating sweeping action to pick up debris, such as leaves, and can include bristles that come in contact with the leaves and lift them into a bag or other container attached to the sweeper. There are several disadvantages to such sweepers when they are utilized for picking up grass clippings: additional time and labor are required for an operator to make two passes over a lawn, first with a mower and then with the sweeper; the added expense of purchase and maintenance of two lawn keeping devices; after the mowing operation is completed, grass clippings can settle into the grass, requiring a sweeper that brushes deeply into the grass to remove the debris, resulting in lawn damage if the grass is brushed too harshly; the brushes of the sweeper may not be dense enough (i.e. have enough bristles) to pick up small grass clippings as compared to leaves; and such a sweeper which uses physical force to transfer the debris may not create a vacuum sufficient to draw light and/or small debris into a catcher.